The FIA Formula One World Championship is celebrating its 70th anniversary in the 2020 season and Haas F1 Team is ready to get the long-awaited new season underway commencing with the Australian Grand Prix, in Albert Park, Melbourne.

Pre-season testing provided the opportunity for Haas F1 Team to gather plenty of data and understanding from its 2020 Formula One car, the VF-20. Veteran racers Romain Grosjean and Kevin Magnussen - forming Haas F1 Team's driver line-up for a fourth successive season - collaborated to complete 676 laps (3146.78 km) of the Circuit de Barcelona-Catalunya across six days of testing, allowing everyone to get back into the rhythm ahead of a potentially record-breaking season.

The first of 22 planned stops on the 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship calendar will be at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, a street-based layout that incorporates the sweeping curves of the leafy Albert Park, located in the southern suburbs of Victoria's state capital. The 16-turn 5.303km-long (3.295-mile) circuit leaves little room for error due to the gravel traps and walls that line the edge of the tarmac while the track evolution through the weekend is high due to the infrequent use of the venue, posing a stern first test for teams and drivers alike.

For Magnussen Albert Park marks a return to the scene of his sensational debut in 2014, when the fresh-faced Dane stunned the Formula One paddock by lining up fourth on the grid, from where he charged to a maiden podium, classifying second in the race. It was one of the rare occasions in which a debutant went home with silverware and the achievement has not since been replicated.

And in terms of sensational debuts then Haas F1 Team's very own first foray into the world of Formula 1 remains a piece of history. Grosjean scored sixth place in 2016 to pick up eight championship points that proved the catalyst for a fine rookie campaign for Haas F1 Team. Last season Magnussen mirrored that result to start the 2019 campaign on a positive note.

The Australian Grand Prix will take place across March 13 to 15, with two practice sessions on Friday, final practice and qualifying on Saturday, and the 58-lap season-opening race on Sunday. Lights out is scheduled for 16:10 local time (00:10 EST / 05:10 GMT).

Having had time to reflect, what are your thoughts on the condensed six day test format hosted at Circuit de Barcelona - Catalunya and given the levels of reliability showcased, could you see further cuts to testing in the future?

Guenther Steiner: "I think six days worked out pretty well. At this time, I don't see the need to cut it even less, should you have a problem you wouldn't recover. With six days, if you lose one, you've still got five at least. It gets tight if you cut to fewer days than that. We've seen that we've all improved our reliability, maybe we just got lucky, but next year we'll see where that goes. For sure though, we all arrived well prepared and everybody just did the same job in six days that we used to do in eight. I would definitely stick with six."

While teams often state they don't know where they stack up following pre-season testing - what specifically do you know after six busy days accruing laps in Spain with the VF-20?

GS: "One thing is sure this year, in terms of what we can see after testing, is that the midfield is very tight. I can't say where we stack up in the midfield, maybe somebody else can, but it's very difficult to predict. We'll just find out when we go qualifying in Melbourne."

Looking into Haas F1 Team's results at the Australian Grand Prix it's a blend of extreme highs - notably the famed sixth place finish for Grosjean on the team's debut in 2016, and frustrating lows - double retirement in 2018. All that combined with the event being the first time each new car truly races, what emotions do you go through arriving in Melbourne and as the weekend unfolds?

GS: "Melbourne is always the unknown for me. We've had fantastic results there and we've been on our way to some strong results before we messed up. We've really had a little bit of everything there. I always like to go to Melbourne, even with the mixed results. I always find it an interesting race; you never know what you're getting out of it."

Melbourne is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a Formula One venue - what is it about the race, in your opinion, that's been the key to its longevity and what moments stand out for you from Melbourne's Formula One heritage?

GS: "I think it's fantastic that Melbourne's celebrating 25 years. It's an event that's well executed and well planned. The people are very welcoming and it's a fantastic location. It's one of my favorite events on the calendar. With it being the first event of the year, the excitement level is always high, as are the expectations. The moment that obviously stands out, for me at least, is our sixth-place finish there in 2016 - our first season in F1. Nobody believed in us, or that we could pull off a result like that, but we did it. Melbourne, for me, will always be a great event."

Reflecting on testing, and the fact it was two days shorter than previous years, what was the impact of that condensed running on your test preparations?

Romain Grosjean: "I thought it was both interesting and exciting. We had a lot of laps to do in a short amount of time. On my first day of testing I did 158 laps of driving and I certainly felt it in my body a little bit. It's also good after the winter to get a lot of mileage done. I did enjoy the condensed element."

How much input do you as a driver have in setting the test-plan for each day and does that evolve over the pre-season test based on your time accumulated in the new car?

RG: "First of all, we have to discover the new car. We have to try to see what the positives and negatives are. Then we work on the test program. Obviously, it's going to evolve a little bit over the running days, subject to any issues we have and the time of any changes, as well as how much running we want to do. It's really a team effort between the engineers and the drivers to see what the best thing is to do and what we want to test to be ready for the season."

The Australian Grand Prix hasn't rewarded you particularly well over the years - the notable exceptions being 2016 and an incredible sixth place finish on Haas F1 Team's debut, along with five top 10 qualifying starts. What are your thoughts on the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit and why the race has produced mixed results for you over the years?

RG:
"I love the Albert Park circuit and I love Australia and the city of Melbourne. To me it's one of the best races of the season. I'm happy to go down to Australia every year. I've had some good qualifying sessions there, I've always been pretty much in the top 10, with a couple of exceptions. The races, yes, my luck hasn't been good in Australia. I've got the feeling things will be different this year and I'm looking forward to it."

Melbourne is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a Formula One venue - what's your first memory of watching Formula One in Melbourne, and other than your own personal highlights there, what other moments in Formula One stand out for you from Melbourne's heritage?

RG:
"I don't remember a lot of races from Melbourne, I guess because of the time difference when I was younger. I do remember, I think it was Sebastien Bourdais' debut, every car was dropping out and he got into the top six. He didn't even finish the race, he retired something like two laps from the end but was still classified in seventh. Australia in the past has always been quite entertaining because cars were having issues and the reliability was not as good as it is today. There were always a lot of retirements and so you never really knew what to expect. For me though, 2016 is the one memory that stands out."

Reflecting on testing, and the fact it was two days shorter than previous years, what was the impact of that condensed running on your test preparations?

Kevin Magnussen: "To be honest, it didn't really feel like much of a difference. I still got plenty of time in the car even though I missed half a day in week one when we had the wheel failure. I feel ready for the start of the season."

How much input do you as a driver have in setting the test-plan for each day and does that evolve over the pre-season test based on your time accumulated in the new car?

KM:
"I have some input, but I largely leave it up to the engineers to figure out what they need to test. I then try and do a consistent job in the car and learn what I can while I'm driving. Of course, lots of the testing done in pre-season is not so relevant for you as a driver, but ultimately you do benefit from the learning process being worked through. As a driver your preference is to do things like race and qualifying runs non-stop but obviously that's not productive. I feel like we got some good stuff out of winter testing this year."

The Australian Grand Prix has proved to be a happy hunting ground for you - notably scene of your first career podium on your debut in 2014, and last year's season's best sixth-place finish. What is it about the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit that seems to work for you - is it simply a track that suits your particular driving style?

KM: "I don't actually think Albert Park suits my driving style, but that said, it's not a track I dislike at all, I do like driving the circuit. It's a pretty normal track for me and I think I've just been fortunate to have had good races there. I can't really point out any reasons why Albert Park should be any better for me than other tracks. I think it's just coincidence I've had good races there. Of course, when you have had good races at circuits, you always look forward to going back because those good memories create a good vibe. I guess you feel a little bit more excited going back to those tracks."

Melbourne is celebrating its 25th anniversary as a Formula One venue - what is it that appeals to you about the track and the city?

KM: "It's obviously long been associated with being the season opener, which gives it a buzz and a certain excitement level. For me, it's one of the best races of the year because of that, and everyone's excited to see where they are and go racing for the first time in the new season. I like Melbourne as a city as well, I enjoy going there."

Equipo Alfa Romeo:

The fight against jet lag, struggling against your body telling you to sleep, for those who are there. The alarm ringing way too early, the tip-toeing around the house, still dark, for those watching from home. The Australian Grand Prix is a race that exacts a toll - very often in the shape of sleepless nights - from all those who work in Formula One or follow our beloved sport from home.

Witnessing - whether in person or not - the start of a new Formula One season is something that takes effort. The teams embark on the longest trip of the season, spending the best part of 24 hours in the narrow confines of a plane. It's a trek that no amount of on-board movies or literature can make any lighter; it hits your body and your soul. Fans watching from home haven't got it any easier. In the blueish light of a TV screen, they brave the night, not without a hint of pride, to watch every session, every minute of action. Bags under the eyes are a mark of honour, a battle scar separating the true believers from the casuals - but has pride ever made a 4am wake-up call any easier?

There's a certain symbolism in all these efforts. The long, cross-planet trip to Australia pales in comparison with the months that led to the birth of a new car: the thousands and thousands of work hours by every team member, the countless meetings, the sweat and tears each one of these journeys entails. The fans, they too endure a long time of silent suffering as they wait for Formula One to come back: a long winter of waiting, the growing sense of expectation, the longing for the first beats of THAT opening sequence. Like the teams, they are awaiting this weekend, projecting their hopes and dreams on the new cars that will take to the track on Friday.

The Australian Grand Prix does exact a toll, but all are ready to endure whatever is asked of them to be on the grid - in the flesh or in the soul. Teams and fans alike, we do this year after year. This is what passion looks like.

Frederic Vasseur: "The season may only be starting, but the first race already feels like a milestone after all the months of work in the factory and the two weeks of winter testing. We come to Melbourne eager to find out how we compare to our rivals: whatever the outcome, we will not rest on our laurels or despair. This first round is the start of a new chapter, one in which we aim to make progress week after week: the goalposts move every new race as we, as well as our rivals, develop our car, so we will need to be delivering our best from here to Abu Dhabi."

Kimi Raikkonen: "It doesn't really matter if it is the start or the end of the season, every race is worth the same amount of points and is an occasion to do our best. It is always hard to predict our performance for the first race of the season. Even though we gave our best during the six days of winter testing in Barcelona, we will first know where we really stand after Australia. All the team worked hard to improve even more the car in comparison to last year. We all did our homework and I am confident that we can achieve good results in Melbourne.

Antonio Giovinazzi: "I am really looking forward to the start of the season. You build up the excitement throughout winter testing, every day you are in the car, but it's only when you sit in the cockpit in Melbourne for the first time that you really feel the emotion in your veins. I am no longer a rookie this year, so I feel better prepared for the weekend than twelve months ago: now we only need to get on track and see where we stand."

Equipo McLaren F1:

Carlos Sainz: "We go again! It's finally time to put to the test all the hard work done pre-season, both at the factory and during the winter test in Barcelona.

"We got a good understanding of the car during the six days of testing, but you can never really be sure of where your competitors are until the first race. What I'm sure of is that we're ready for the challenge. The excitement of the fans, the atmosphere around the track and the tension before lights-out make for an amazing weekend. I'm looking forward to the first on-track battle of the season."

Lando Norris: "I can't wait to go racing again in Australia, this time with the benefit of a year's experience behind me. My rookie season got off to a good start there in 2019, but as always I'm looking to improve wherever I can. I feel much more confident coming into this season than I did last year, and I'm really excited to get back in the car.

"The Albert Park circuit is pretty cool and the atmosphere is great thanks to the Aussie fans. As a street circuit you get really close to the wall on some parts of the track, and being brave has its benefits. I got a great reception here from the fans last year, so I'm excited to see everyone again. With my engineers we've done a lot of preparation over the winter and in pre-season testing, so we're ready to get back to racing. I can't wait to get the 2020 season started - it's looking like it will be a challenging but exciting one."

Andreas Seidl, Team Principal: "We head to Australia ready and excited for another season to start. Following a successful pre-season testing, we feel prepared for the challenge of 2020 but conscious of where we need to focus. The Australian Grand Prix is where we first see how competitive all the teams are without the usual caveats of testing, so there is plenty to learn. We aim to hit the ground running at Albert Park and set ourselves up well for the rest of the season. Building our understanding of the MCL35 early in the year is crucial to our positive development.

"This will be my first time visiting Melbourne with McLaren, so I'm looking forward to seeing all the fans and taking in the amazing atmosphere. Starting the season with a back-to-back always raises challenges, but thanks to the hard work of the entire team both back at the factory and trackside, we head into the first two races prepared. Together with Carlos and Lando we're ready to go again for 2020."

Pirelli:

For the first time since Pirelli re-entered Formula 1 in 2011, we start the season with exactly the same tyres as the previous year. And just like 2019, C2 has been chosen as the P Zero White hard tyre in Melbourne, C3 as the P Zero Yellow medium, and C4 as the P Zero Red soft.

This selection worked very well last year, which is why we've chosen them again. The middle of the P Zero range is well-suited to the wide-ranging demands of Melbourne, and all three compounds were used in the race.

The Albert Park circuit is a semi-permanent facility, which means that it's often very dirty at the start of the weekend. This selection of tyres copes well with the rapid track evolution, giving drivers plenty of options when it comes to strategy.

The circuit is mainly about traction and braking, with short corners and straights apart from the long and more demanding Turn 8 by the lake. Its quite bumpy, which emphasizes the lack of grip.

Weather can be varied and the unforgiving confines mean that a safety car is reasonably likely. The correlation between pole position and victory is quite low.

Mario Isola: "Tyre-wise, the drivers should be well-prepared for Melbourne, as they have exactly the same selection as last year, so there should be plenty of relevant data. Perhaps the only question mark concerns how these tyres perform on the 2020 cars, which have already proved to be a lot faster than their predecessors, but plenty of information about this was gathered at pre-season testing in Barcelona last month.

"In the recent past, Australia has been a one-stop race for most drivers, and for now there's no reason to think why it should be different this year, which marks the start to the end of an era: the final season of 13-inch tyres in Formula 1."
Scuderia Ferrari:

Despite this being a very difficult time in Italy and indeed in the rest of the world, because of concerns about the spread of Coronavirus (Covid-19), the Formula 1 World Championship will start as planned in Australia and Scuderia Ferrari, the only team to have taken part in every year of the series, will be there. The 71st season of the Formula 1 World Championship gets underway at Melbourne's Albert Park Circuit on Sunday 15 March. The venue has been the scene of the opening round on 22 occasions and this will be the 25th Australian GP to be held here. With a further eleven races in Adelaide from 1985 to 1995, it means this will be the 36th running of this race.

Scuderia Ferrari has nine wins to its name in Australia, the first courtesy of Gerhard Berger in Adelaide in 1987, the last back in 2018 with Sebastian Vettel. The Maranello squad also has a further 16 podium finishes, eight second places and eight thirds. A Ferrari has started from pole six times and set the fastest race lap on nine occasions.
The 5.303 kilometre-long track features 16 corners and the race distance is 58 laps. Albert Park is a street circuit, therefore the grip level gradually improves, the more running the cars do, thus rubbering-in the surface. There are three DRS zones: the main straight and the sections between turns 2 and 3 and 12 and 13.

Sebastian Vettel: "Say Melbourne and three things come to mind: sunshine, a buzzing atmosphere and bumps. Sunshine, because the weather is usually nice when we race there; the buzzing atmosphere because this city is full of life, making it a pleasure to start the season here, and the bumps because every year we know that the Albert Park track is going to be very bumpy.

"In fact, it's that characteristic which makes this track a real technical challenge and that's probably the reason we drivers like it so much. The first race of the season is always special and I think it will allow us to get a better idea than we had in testing as to what the hierarchy is between the teams."

Charles Leclerc: "If I had to sum up Melbourne in three words, they would be, beautiful, tricky and fun. Beautiful refers to the city that is vibrant and has a young population that makes it even more lively.

"The track is definitely exciting, because it's a street circuit and I've always loved racing between the walls, although it also has some very fast sections. However, it is also definitely tricky because, especially at the start of the weekend, the surface is dirty and doesn't provide the same grip level you'd find at a permanent track.

"The characteristics of the Albert Park track make it unforgiving and any mistake can come at a high price, so when you're in the cockpit, you have to be fully focused all the time."

Mattia Binotto Team Principal: "After a long winter working on building and developing our car, the time has come to get a first indication of our performance level and how effective are the improvements we have introduced over the past few months.

"We know that the opposition is strong, but we also know that it is the start of a long season where development rate, reliability, and our operational effectiveness will be key. We are gearing up to tackle all these challenges as a united team, conscious of the progress that needs to be made and proud of the support of our fans worldwide.

"At what is a difficult time for Italy and the world as a whole, as part of a global sport, it is our obligation to try and put a smile on people's faces as they prepare to watch the first race of the season with the same sense of anticipation as ourselves."

Equipo Racing Point:

What's the best thing about the first race of the year?

Lance Stroll: "It's definitely not the flight over - that's quite a trek! Australia is a great country and I love going to Melbourne. The city is awesome and the track is great to drive too - very technical, not much room for error and one that requires precision. It's also really beautiful with the way it threads through the park."

LS: "I spend most of my time there in a race car driving around Albert Park, so unfortunately there's not much time for sightseeing! I'm probably the wrong person to ask... but I'd genuinely encourage people to go to the race. The atmosphere around the place and the energy of the weekend is really one of a kind - it's not like any other race, in that sense."

What's your standout memory from Albert Park?

LS: "I had a good result there last year, scoring my first points with the team, so that's a good memory. I've been looking forward to going back ever since."

SP: "It's a fantastic city - one of my favourites, actually. I'd recommend going cycling or running to see as much of the city as you can. It's a really diverse and beautiful place."

What's your top racing memory from Albert Park?

SP: "I would say my debut in 2011. That first race is something you've been dreaming about your whole life and then suddenly you're there, waiting for the lights to go out - it's an amazing feeling. Finishing P7 was pretty satisfying too, even if I didn't get to keep the result!"

Melbourne is often described as having four seasons in one day, so watch out for sudden changes in the climatic conditions that have the teams on the pit wall scrambling for data [and umbrellas!].

As is common with temporary circuits, the track surface can be quite bumpy and also rather slippery at the start of the weekend - the latter improving as the tarmac rubbers in.

For the first time in the modern-day Pirelli era [2011 - present], the opening race of the season will be run with exactly the same tyres as the previous year, with the C2 as the Hard, C3 as the Medium and C4 as the Soft compound for the weekend.

With just six days of pre-season testing spread across two weeks ahead of the opening round, the teams head to Melbourne with plenty still to understand about their 2020 packages, so expect plenty of track activity during the three Free Practice sessions.

Albert Park traditionally has a high Safety Car probability - six appearances in the last 10 Australian Grands Prix - which will keep the strategists on their toes.

Equipo Red Bull Racing:

Rate the Albert Park track

Max Verstappen: 8/10 - "I like this track, even though it's a street circuit and hard to overtake on. No track is perfect but Albert Park has quite a lot of fast ninety degree corners which are challenging. The fast chicane in qualifying is also really satisfying when you get it right."
Rate Melbourne as a race venue
MV: 9/10 - "It's one of the best races on the calendar. It's the start of the season and everyone starts from zero which makes it exciting when it gets to qualifying and you find out where you really are. There's a great atmosphere with all the fans supporting the event and the weather is good too which makes it a nice week."

How special was the podium last year?
MV: "It was a great start for us and Honda to be on the podium straight away and a good confidence boost for everyone. It was also my first time on the podium in Australia which made it even more special."

How are you feeling going into the first race of the season?

MV: "I feel good and we are pushing hard as a Team. Everybody here knows that to be successful you need to fully understand the car, do a lot of laps and we were pleased with our testing in Barcelona. We got good mileage, things ran pretty smoothly and that's exactly what we wanted. Honda are also pushing flat out. You always want improvements and they have made a lot since last year. The real bonus is that what they say they will deliver development wise always happens and I'm confident that will be the case again this year. My contract talks were pretty simple and I trust the Team. I believe we can move forward and get back to challenging like we did in the past. We have the right people in the Team and I think we have everything we need to challenge, especially with the dedication from Honda. I'd like to start the season strong, because then it's really on but we won't know where we stand until Q2 and Q3 on Saturday in Melbourne, that's where all the hard work over the winter really counts."

It's been one year since you made your Formula One race debut. Are you looking forward to returning to the track where it all began?

Alex Albon: "I was nervous this time last year as it was my first Formula One race and I'd never been to Albert Park before. This year, it's more about maximising the race itself. We had a good pre-season test and now it's all about putting the pieces together for Melbourne."

Tell us more about the Albert Park track.

AA: "Melbourne is really good fun and it's going to be the first taste of how we've done over the winter. As for the track, Albert Park is not an easy circuit. I'd say it's one of the hardest tracks that we go to and it's the first one of the season so you've got to be ready for it. The track itself is very dirty and also high speed, especially for a street circuit. Technically, the track is very difficult and it's up there with one of the bumpiest circuits we go to. You've got a lot of shadows on the track from the trees lining the edges, so there's lots of leaves on the ground. It's easy to make a mistake there, and if you do go off, it's very punishing!"

AA: "Lots! But I'm most looking forward to Melbourne's avocado and poached eggs. I like the Australian brunches and I like their coffee!!"

Equipo Renault F1 Team:

Cyril Abiteboul, Team Principal: The start of a Formula 1 season is always a very exciting time.After a good end to pre-season testing in Barcelona, we head to Australia with ambition but with a hint of caution given the relative unknown of the competition level of our rivals. The first race is the time everyone on the grid shows their true hand.

We are as best prepared as we can be for the start of the year thanks to the hard work across Enstone and Viry over the winter months. These efforts were exemplified in pre-season testing with solid engine reliability and a performance level, which fitted with what we expected to see. Now we aim to see the benefits of our preparation come to fruition at a race weekend.

The car and driver line-up have great potential for a good season. Daniel is highly motivated for 2020 and especially for his home race. Esteban too has a hunger in his eyes to prove why he deserves to be on the grid, and I believe this combination is the perfect recipe for success. As a team, we need a clean first weekend, everything to run as smooth as possible and then we will almost certainly reap the rewards from it.

The season is going to be long and there will be some opportunities along the way, which we have to seize. Our objectives are set, we are well prepared and we're looking forward to opening the season.

Daniel Ricciardo enters his second Australian Grand Prix wearing Renault colours, and his ninth ever racing at the Albert Park Circuit in Formula 1. Together with the support from a raucous home crowd, Daniel is aiming to score a strong result in Melbourne and kickstart his second season with the team in style.

What are your thoughts on the Renault R.S.20 heading into the season opener?

Daniel Ricciardo: Pre-season testing was, overall, positive for us. Both Esteban and I racked up a lot of mileage in the car, which is a boost heading into the new season. You don't really know the true pace of the car or rivals until Saturday, but I'm feeling happy with the overall balance from testing, so let's see where we are come qualifying. The whole team has worked extremely hard over winter to get the car ready, and I'm very excited to finally get racing.

Describe what it is like racing at your home Grand Prix?

DR: It's a special feeling racing at home in Australia. I'm away from home for so long during the year, so it's nice to spend time here with friends and family. The Australian fans are great, and you can really feel their support and use it as extra motivation. I've not always had the best race in Melbourne, so I'm looking to try and correct that this year and deliver a strong weekend with Renault.

What's the Albert Park Circuit like to race?

DR: Albert Park is a fun track to drive with a lot of high and medium speed sections, and it's nice to experience something different after testing. The technical requirements of the track are different to Barcelona, and you need a good set-up to deliver a strong result. The circuit is also not famed for its overtaking, so qualifying is quite important. My favourite part of the course is probably towards the end. There's a good overtaking spot into Turn 9, with the bank on the left always packed with fans, so if I pull off an overtake there, it always gets a nice reaction!

Esteban Ocon will line-up for a Formula 1 Grand Prix for the first time in 476 days in Australia. After a busy and promising pre-season test fortnight at the wheel of the Renault R.S.20, the Frenchman is raring to go for the opening race of the season.

What's it like to be preparing for a Formula 1 race weekend again?

Esteban Ocon: It feels fantastic to be heading into a race weekend. It's been a while since I've had to get into that competitive mindset, so it's very exciting to be doing that again. I've had a solid winter training programme, which began especially early to be ready for this challenge and I feel like I'm in good shape. I've settled well into the team and that began in December with the test in Abu Dhabi, followed by regular simulator days and, recently, pre-season testing in Barcelona. It's great to be preparing for a season with everything tailor-made for you. I'm ready, I'm pumped, and I can't wait to go to Melbourne!

How do you feel pre-season testing went for you and the team?

EO: We left testing on a high note after a solid final day in the car for both Daniel and I. We made a decent step with the car and it did feel good. We've had a bit of time to analyse the data and jump in the simulator to find where we can improve. I have confidence for a great result in Melbourne, but we will take it a step at a time and ease ourselves back into a race weekend. Testing is one thing, driving lots of laps, but going racing is very different and it's important we maximise any opportunity.

What do you like about the Australian Grand Prix?

EO:Melbourne is a great place and I really enjoy going there. It's always good to get away from the cold weather in Europe and enjoy some sunshine! I like the buzz around this time of year as it's the start of the season and there's that excitement to get everything going. It's always a cool atmosphere throughout the weekend in Australia and I find that quite motivating. The aim is to put on a show and take home some points for the team!

Equipo Mercedes:

Toto Talks Australia

We've had a very busy winter; not only did we develop, test and build a new car, we've also signed new principal partner INEOS and announced a bold commitment for sustainability. Our goals are very ambitious as we aim to cut our CO2 emissions by 2022. Starting this year, we will achieve a net-zero carbon footprint through a combination of reducing our emissions and CO2 offsetting. We hope that other teams will soon follow our lead and introduce an equally strong sustainability strategy.

It's finally time go racing again and we're looking forward to the new season. The team has worked very hard to build a new car and we're excited to see what it can do when it's driven in anger. We managed to get through most of our programme as planned at the winter tests; however, we faced some reliability issues that we needed to resolve. We're glad that we encountered these issues in testing rather than at a race weekend as we could work on fixing them without any penalties.

The new season will be exciting to watch both on-track and away from it as everything we do this year will have a knock-on effect for our competitiveness in the future. We face the challenge of the biggest technical changes our sport has ever seen combined with a budget cap, so the work that we do this year will determine the start to 2021. This makes the 2020 season a massive challenge - a challenge that everyone in Brixworth and Brackley is looking forward to.

Fact File

The pit lane distance - measured from the pit lane limiter line to the pit lane exit line - at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit is the shortest on the Formula One calendar, at just 280.6 metres.

The Australian Grand Prix is one of just five races on the F1 schedule to have a 60 km/h speed limit in the pit lane, rather than the 80 km/h speed limit. The other races to have a 60 km/h speed limit in the pit lane are Monaco, France, Singapore and Russia.

Melbourne's F1 track is tied with Spielberg for the second-highest percentage of lap time spent at full throttle (72.3%). It also has the fourth-highest percentage of lap distance taken at full throttle (79.3%). Only Monza features a higher wide-open-throttle percentage, with 76% of lap time and 84% of lap distance at full throttle.
Drivers experience some of the highest g-forces of the season through the quick Turn 11 at the Melbourne Grand Prix Circuit, reaching a maximum of 5.1 G laterally.

The circuit at Albert Park is bumpy and features many aggressive kerbs, which makes it very tough on the tea tray (the first part of the floor, behind the front wheels) and can cause damage to the cars.

The 11-hour time difference between Australia and the UK make the first race of the season particularly tricky for the industrial placement students and the engineers who support the team from the Race Support Room (RSR) in Brackley and the Track Support Office (TSO) in Brixworth. The teams have access to a sleep schedule, to help shift over to the different time zone, but everyone approaches it differently - from making the shift gradually in the build-up to the race weekend to going all-in from Wednesday onwards.

From Thursday onwards, the support team in England will not only watch all the sessions live, but also join all engineering meetings at the track remotely. This makes for some unusual working patterns: Thursday's shift starts at midnight and finishes around lunchtime, with Friday beginning at midnight and concluding around 3PM in the afternoon. Saturday's shift starts at 1AM and ends at lunchtime. On race day, the teams arrive at the factories at 2am and wrap things up mid-morning - most certainly looking forward to a good night's sleep in the following night.

Equipo Williams F1:

The 2020 FIA Formula One World Championship kicks off this weekend as we head down under to the beautiful Albert Park Circuit in Melbourne, with the city set to celebrate its 25th year hosting Grands Prix. ROKiT Williams Racing heads into 2020 with a new driver line-up but the same fighting spirit, as Canadian driver Nicholas Latifi
steps up to a full-time race seat accompanying Brit George Russell, who returns for his second year in Formula One.

Dave Robson, Senior Race Engineer: As in recent years, the buzzing city of Melbourne hosts the opening round of the Formula One World Championship at the Albert Park circuit. The track is a fierce proposition to start the season and asks some very different questions to those that we faced during winter testing in Barcelona. The track, which is essentially a street circuit, is demanding on both the car and the drivers and if the weather is hot, it can quickly become a significant physical challenge. The kerbs, high speed corners and constant changes of direction all place stress on the car and driver, and the many straights and acceleration zones make high demands of the power unit.

We arrive in Melbourne on the back of an effective winter testing campaign during which we completed almost 3500km of running. The few niggles that we identified in Barcelona have received due attention in the short break since testing. The progress will continue on Friday as we work towards a strong showing on Sunday.

For George this his second trip to Melbourne and he will be able to tackle the difficulties of Albert Park with a new understanding that only a full Formula One season of experience can provide. Conversely, for Nicholas, this his first visit to Melbourne and it will probably take him a little time to understand the nuances of this exciting track. However, as we have seen throughout last year and during winter testing, it is a challenge that he will face with great skill and determination. With some solid consistent running on Friday he will soon be up to speed.

George Russell: I am excited to head back to Melbourne, and to start racing again. It is one of the best circuits on the calendar, it is unique and has a lot of character. The team have worked extremely hard off the back of last season, and we hope that we have found some more performance and have continued to make progress ahead of the season start in Melbourne.

Nicholas Latifi: When I was first announced as the team's race driver last year, Melbourne seemed so far away! Now we're almost ready to go racing and the feeling of excitement has just been building day by day. It's been a long winter with a lot of work going on behind the scenes, so there is a lot of anticipation going into my debut in Formula One. I've heard many great things about the race and it's one of the few that I have yet to attend, so I'm looking forward to taking in the whole event. I'm sure it will be a weekend that I will remember for the rest of my life.

Alonso carried his Renault to third place in Singapore. After Vettel and Rosberg wrecked their own races, he seized a podium from a car that did not deserve it.

That is the difference between the great and the merely good.

Martin Brundle (Sing '09)

"Alonso has been brilliant all weekend, absolutely brilliant". "A driver not always easyto love, but very easy to admire".